The Conversation

A cooler ocean predator than sharks? Consider the mantis shrimps

/ 6 minutes of reading

When you think about fearsome predators in the ocean, the first thing that pops into your mind is probably a shark. Sure, sharks are OK, with their sleek, menacing shape and their gaping jaws with rows of jagged teeth. But if you were a fish living on a coral reef or cruising along the shore over the sands of a tropical island, you would fear a far more terrifying predator. Continue Reading A cooler ocean predator than sharks? Consider the mantis shrimps

School safety commission misses the mark by ignoring guns

/ 4 minutes of reading

F. Chris Curran, Assistant Professor of Public Policy University of Maryland, Baltimore County A federal school safety commission that formed after the Parkland, Florida, school massacre won’t be focusing on guns. That’s according to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who stated recently that firearms were “not part of the commission’s charge per se.” She made the remark in response to a U.S. senator who asked if the commission would consider the role of firearms in school violence. Of course, if the commission were to focus on just guns, they would miss the mark. But as a scholar who studies school… Continue Reading School safety commission misses the mark by ignoring guns

Making Skis Strong Enough for Olympians to Race on

/ 5 minutes of reading

What’s inside Olympians’ skis? AP Photo/Luca Bruno by Marc Zupan, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Olympians expect top-notch performance from their minds and bodies, but they get crucial advantages from the very best equipment for their sports and the weather conditions they’re competing in. Skis, for example, must stand up to near-constant changes in stress during races. The ideal ski provides a stiff and rigid platform for skiers’ boots to attach to, flexes to carve through turns, doesn’t break under the pressure of jumps and landings and is light enough not to slow the athlete down. But that’s not all: Skis… Continue Reading Making Skis Strong Enough for Olympians to Race on

Studying circadian rhythms in plants and their pathogens might lead to precision medicine for people

/ 7 minutes of reading

Hua Lu, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, UMBC, and Linda Wiratan, B.S. Student of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UMBC Above photo: CC BY-ND At dusk, the leaves of the tamarind tree close, waiting for another dawn. Androsthenes, a ship captain serving under Alexander the Great, made the first written account of these leaf movements in the fourth century B.C. It took centuries longer to discover that he was describing the effects of the circadian clock. This internal time-sensing mechanism allows many living organisms to keep track of time and coordinate their behaviors along 24-hour cycles. It follows the regular day/night and seasonal… Continue Reading Studying circadian rhythms in plants and their pathogens might lead to precision medicine for people

Seeing Without Eyes – The Unexpected World of Nonvisual Photoreception

/ 6 minutes of reading

Thomas Cronin, University of Maryland, Baltimore County We humans are uncommonly visual creatures. And those of us endowed with normal sight are used to thinking of our eyes as vital to how we experience the world. Vision is an advanced form of photoreception – that is, light sensing. But we also experience other more rudimentary forms of photoreception in our daily lives. We all know, for instance, the delight of perceiving the warm sun on our skin, in this case using heat as a substitute for light. No eyes or even special photoreceptor cells are necessary. But scientists have discovered… Continue Reading Seeing Without Eyes – The Unexpected World of Nonvisual Photoreception

Round Up: UMBC in the News

/ 1 minute of reading

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community. Joan Shin, Education, Writes about the International Children’s Song Approach in The Conversation Manil Suri, Mathematics, Writes New York Times Op-ed on The Politics of Yoga in India Kimberly Moffitt, American Studies, on Midday with Dan Rodricks and WBAL-TV Rebecca Adelman, Media and Communication Studies, Questions Assumptions Surrounding Shark Attacks in Discovery… Continue Reading Round Up: UMBC in the News

Round Up: UMBC in the News

/ 1 minute of reading

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community. Jerilyn Johnson Receives AA Degree from CCBC Donald Norris (School of Public Policy) and Thomas Schaller (Political Science), Provide Analysis Ahead of Martin O’Malley’s May 30 Announcement John Rennie Short, School of Public Policy, in The Conversation UMBC Research Forum Tackles High-Performance Computing “The Mathematics of Being Human” Reviewed in Siam News… Continue Reading Round Up: UMBC in the News

Round Up: UMBC in the News

/ 1 minute of reading

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community. Constantine Vaporis, History, To Serve as Smithsonian Journeys Expert in Japan Christopher Swan, Geography and Environmental Systems, Discusses Maryland Green Prisons Initiative in the Baltimore Sun Pres. Hrabowski Featured in SmartCEO Magazine Richard Bissell, Emergency Health Services, Analyzes Nepal Earthquake Response in The Conversation Amanda Knapp Featured in AMA’s Get Women Riding… Continue Reading Round Up: UMBC in the News

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